Tennessee just gave college sports a blueprint for the future and the NCAA should embrace it

Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball has given the rest of the country a template for what the future of college athletics could look like. Instead of running in the other direction, the NCAA and the rest of its members should embrace it.

On Tuesday, Athletes.org (AO) shared the term sheet of a proposed collective bargaining agreement (CBA) designed alongside Tennessee men's basketball players Tyler Lundblade, a graduate student, junior Campbell Duncan and sophomore DeWayne Brown II and receiving input from the Volunteers athletics department, including AD Danny White.

The proposal included a more clearly defined wage scale, ways to possibly limit player movement and an independent arbitration system, keeping friendly local judges from deciding disputes.

"It is not a signed agreement or ratified CBA," AO wrote in a statement. "Rather, it offers the clearest picture to date of the issues a CBA could address, the accountability mechanisms that could protect athletes and an institution, and what athletes can achieve when they have a direct role in deciding the terms of the industry they power."

As things stand, an official CBA is nothing more than a pipe dream, ESPN's Alex Scarborough noted, with most university officials openly against designating players as employees, which they would need to be in order to form a union that could negotiate a deal. And even should that stance changed, several states have laws banning employees at public institutions from unionizing, throwing another wrench into the idea.

White, Scarborough wrote, "has proposed creating a private company to act as the centralized employer of college athletes to help avoid those state laws."

While some undoubtedly have benefitted from the chaos of the transfer portal era and backdoor NIL deals, most would be better off with a clearly defined set of rules, universities and players alike.

Why universities should want a CBA

As part of the Tennessee CBA, the two sides agreed to a set of rules that would simplify the transfer portal period, player payments and create enforceable cap circumvention and tampering rules, all things that could help universities, including coaching staffs. 

"The transfer portal window for [men's basketball] will not open until at least one week after the national championship," the framework states. The CBA also streamlines player payments into a "Universal Athletic Services Agreement" that combines revenue share and university-affiliated NIL deals, leveling the playing field. Under the current model, AO writes, "Universities are disguising performance payments as NIL contracts."

A freshman wage scale would protect teams from themselves, while the creation of a veteran performance bonus — eligible to athletes after two consecutive seasons on a team — would incentivize players to stay with one program. 

Regulations against cap circumvention and tampering are also wins, creating more equality among teams while also making it easier to hold those who break rules accountable.

Players should want one, too

On the surface, players have it pretty good. Don't like something? Hire a lawyer and get a court order.

If something's broken to your benefit, why fix it?

"Having a players associated and a CBA solidifies our seat at the table," Duncan wrote in AO's statement, "empowering us to negotiate our working conditions, protect our rights, establish benefits for during and after our playing days and ensure our voices are heard as decisions are made about our livelihoods."

The CBA term sheet protects players against injuries and from universities that back out of a contract "for non-qualified reasons" while also allowing athletes to receive performance-based bonuses.

And as good as things are for players in 2026, there may come a time when rules get passed, perhaps in the form of the Protect College Sports Act, which the United States Senate passed in September. While its fate is in doubt following the 2026 midterms, it or another form of legislation could move forward eventually without any input from players. Accepting the collective bargaining approach would ensure their voices are considered when rules are codified.

Both sides have had their reasons to balk at a potential unionization effort. But Tennessee has shown a CBA isn't something to be afraid of. Rather, it could be the best path forward.